ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

some / a few

xiē
8 strokes · 此 (this) + 二 (two) — 'this, doubled': more than one · HSK 1

Where 些 comes from

些 sets 此 (this) over 二 (two): 'this' multiplied — some, several. A quantity word built from pointing at things more than once.

些 in Chinese culture

些 softens numbers into estimates: 一些 (some), 这些 (these — with 这), 那些 (those — with 那), 有些 (some of them / somewhat). Chinese loves not committing to exact counts; 买一些水果 ('buy some fruit') is warmer than a precise 买五个. Learn 些 and you can shop, complain (好一些, a bit better) and generalize like a native.

Example

一些 yìxiē — some / a few

我买了一些水果。
Wǒ mǎi le yìxiē shuǐguǒ.
I bought some fruit.

How to remember it

This 此 times two 二 — not one thing but SOME.

好一些 'better by some' — Chinese comparisons often improve in vague, polite increments rather than exact amounts.

Same sound, different tones

1st xiē
some
2nd xié
shoe
3rd xiě
to write

Words unlocked by 些

一些 yìxiē
some
这些 zhèxiē
these
那些 nàxiē
those
LEARN 些 WITH STROKE-BY-STROKE WRITING → DOWNLOAD ZHIZHI
One character a morning · 169-character HSK library · iOS